


And the sunlight kissed carnation into your cheeks.

by Kotsskaa



Category: Witch's Heart (Video Game)
Genre: Alternative title: what is it about evening hilltops that lead to romantic endeavors, Ashe/Wilardo and Claire & Zizel are implied .... I love Wilashe I'm sorry, Claire & Zizel are platonic because ... canonical age things ew, First Kiss, Goodness it's late, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I am TIRED of soft uwu baby Noel give me Noel with a tiny amount of secret cockiness, I have never been good at writing canon personalities, Love Confessions, M/M, Please Forgive me, Probably a modern AU—I'd like to imagine this takes place in some rural countryside, Sirius is a poetry gay please convince me otherwise, Writing Sirinoel as a Noel kin is a very liberating experience-, i love it, may be ooc, —what makes them so romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29925057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kotsskaa/pseuds/Kotsskaa
Summary: Sirius grunted in a flustered annoyance, shifting his position as though it would ward away his puzzlement. “Perhaps you don’t know me as well as you think you do, then. It’s not my problem if you’ve neglected to pay attention.”He watched with vigor and a type of insecure bitterness that was unique to him, as his companion’s features twisted into that of bemusement. A lead that brought only a dead end, typical of Sirius yet frustrating nonetheless. He could only assume that to be the reason, anyway—that boy was always in another world, it seemed. “And, why?” He finally inquired. “Why say this now?”‘Because you’re beautiful,’ the words teased his tongue. ‘Because you’ve entranced me terribly.’But he said neither of those things. He’d take to watching the rays above reflect along the other’s golden lake of hair, instead. His thoughts could stand at bay for another eternity; he was not owed the mercy of reciprocation.~~< ✟ >~~In which Noel and Sirius find themselves on the outskirts of town.
Relationships: Claire Elford & Zizel (implied), Sirius Gibson/Noel Levine, Wilardo Adler/Ashe Bradley (implied)
Kudos: 6





	And the sunlight kissed carnation into your cheeks.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi !!!!! Goodness I swear I starting writing at one and suddenly it's ten hours of sleep and 2.5k words later-
> 
> I WROTE THIS VERY LATE I'M SO SORRY DFJAKSLDASLD ;;

Truthfully, he hadn’t been sure what to think. Typically composed and sure of every step he took, it was hard to believe the hours before had led up to that moment. In one expanse of time he’d been ungainly sharing a drink with a childhood friend, and the next they’d found themselves side by side on the edge of an overlook. 

Below swept the dimming lights of the plaza, late-night company arriving, and those with families awaiting their return hurrying away from pubs and cafes. If he were a poet that took a liking to scenery, perhaps Sirius would have regarded the sun basking behind the foreground as _ethereal;_ but his forte lied in victorian qualms and gorgeous men. A pity, perhaps, however beside the point entirely. A sight to behold indeed—and yet, he found his focus slipping away from the view. 

From one breathtaking scene to another, from the sunset to sunrise. He knew little French, yet the words _mon soleil_ made themselves at home among his vocabulary. Perhaps _mon_ was a tad too possessive for their level, certainly not an opinion he’d speak aloud. The longer he stared the less the thought of being caught nagged—and for a brief moment, Sirius wondered if the sun ahead set to conceal its jealousy. 

His star held the gaze, and returned it with a benign smile. A gesture that lit up the other’s cheeks similarly to the fire that had already spread across Noel’s own. It was hot that day, the Lord reminded himself, he’d see to it that burn was properly cared for later. Truly, why else would such a color bleed so freely?

He knew well why, yet banished the thought. 

_“I do hope you wore sunscreen.”_

The words tumbled out of his mouth clumsily, a thought spoken out loud without the intent to do so. He cursed his nerves for taking control they should not have, and cursed the universe for not dropping a meteor on him then and there to save him the embarrassment. Utterly humiliating it was, certainly unfit words for someone so dignified. 

  
Well, perhaps dignified was a word of the past, now. Especially when the other seemed caught off guard by the sudden admission, lips hanging slightly agape and eyes narrowed in an innocent confusion. “Ah, no—no, I did not.” Accompanying his words was a gaze to the left, a gaze away from Sirius. 

In such a tender moment it felt like all the warmth in the world had been momentarily ripped away from him, in favor of centralizing it on his features. His fingers ran cold with regret, while the upper half of him burned in humility. It was the smallest of inconveniences that set all of his world off track, and when he did nothing but pine endlessly for someone so dearly oblivious in recent days, it was fatal to his ego. He wondered what his grandmother would think, seeing him so pathetically love-struck, and then promptly decided he wouldn’t like to know. 

(Small mercies; he smirked inwardly.)

“Of course you didn’t,” he huffed. Only a fourth of the disdain was meant, however times came desperate when he needed to mask his vulnerability. “Don’t come whining to me when your skin is peeling tomorrow, _tch.”_

It was silent for a moment as he directed his gaze away as well, back on the array of the hazy skyline. That cluster of seconds was spent wondering just how many times he’d masked his flushed cheeks with venom, and just how many times the other had taken it as sincerity. He tried to lose himself in the border of Heaven and Hell, tried to find a pattern to occupy himself with among the argon and marmalade. Success came in small doses, and for a moment he found himself focusing on a stray cloud passing over the vista. It made a home in front of the sun, casting the slightest of shadows on his face. How rude, truly. 

“I wasn’t planning on it, so don’t worry there.” The words came as a surprise, heartbeats later. And though Sirius couldn’t see it in his state, he could hear the smile in his words. The same smile that was usually reserved for courteous words of gratitude and modest compliments. The same smile that caused Sirius’ heart to swell in devilish ways. A smile he despised and adored simultaneously, a smile he would sell for a cent and not at all just the same. 

  
It was silent after that. The smile in his voice faded.

The grass rustled as the figure beside him shifted, resting on one thigh as his legs splayed out beside him. The cuffs of his pants caught Sirius’ eyes next, for reasons unbeknownst to him, leading his gaze up Noel’s legs furthermore. He relished the way the light caught the silk off-white of the other’s blouse, and even more so how it nestled delightfully in the cerulean of his eyes—he could spend hours busied over his typewriter, and never find the right word to describe them. 

“Mhmm . . .” His throat was unbearably dry, he noted. The lemon tea he’d graciously indulged in earlier seemed like the only thing he’d let past his lips in centuries, even though he was well aware it wasn’t true. The sandpaper texture of his tongue begged otherwise—though he was aware nervousness worked in mysterious ways. 

He mentally kicked himself for admitting to being nervous, for even daring to think he lacked a lick of confidence. Blissful ignorance was his specialty, lest it personally involved someone he held dear. Such was the way the air around Noel permeated with unease that led him to crack. 

“Though I . . . Believe I have something lying around somewhere. I expect gratitude at the earliest convenience.” A scowl had crawled onto his lips, though not without the starts of a smirk lacing its corners. He spoke as if common decency tired him, and though he felt repose would come easily in the environment he was in now, his thoughts differed greatly from what spewed from his mouth. _‘Of course I shall mend your woes—I will fight that sun myself if I have to.’_

Another verbatim word of thankfulness fell from Noel’s tongue, and Sirius gave no response in kind. Below the square thrived with the evening crowd, mostly older teens and young adults perusing the venues and exiting shops . . . He lost himself in that, instead.

A head of blue bobbed alongside well-kept fuchsia; teal paired with navy just a few feet away. One seemed to throw something at the shorter of the ensemble, who only appeared to stare down in apathy at the object. After a moment, they all staggered in laughter. Just what was so funny slipped his mind entirely, though he wished in that moment he knew. Perhaps what he needed most in that moment was a bit of laughter.

“I’ve always wondered what becomes of people you meet on a whim.” Noel seemed to speak the other’s becoming thoughts, tone airy and inviting after such suffocating silence. “One moment, they exist so clearly in your memory . . . And the next, they may be dead, for all you know. Isn’t it a little odd?”

Sirius exhaled sharply through his nose, reaching up to twirl his earring around his finger. The other hand rested beside him, finger spread out to support himself, while his legs sat up right in front of him, in all of their bent glory. He was acutely aware of the way his shorts crawled up his waist and squeezed it taught, and how his own blouse had become slightly untucked in their trek up the slope. Why all those details came to mind then was simple; he feared the next words he spoke wouldn’t come out how he’d wanted them to, would not reflect correctly in his tone. Procrastination was his friend on very few occasions, and this proved to be one of them. 

_‘I’ve always had an eye for detail,_ ’ he debated on settling with. _‘I am the beholder of which bears eyes that hold beauty.’_ But it was awkward and arrogant, and for once the desire to let his guard down overruled his attempts at saving face. Noel was not his enemy; far from that, evidently. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to betray his own security measures—when was the next time he’d find himself in such a place? His next words came with a tone that threatened his usual bitterness, surprisingly mellow. “I have always been one to study others in my free time . . . I pride myself in being able to identify _true_ aestheticism.”

(And though he hadn’t realized it before, his heart was pounding vigorously; perhaps his chest would explode and save him from the shame.)

“Ah, really? I’d never taken you as the type,” The blond mused in response, eyebrows raised at Sirius’ change in demeanor. Though his words were passive, the glint of a canine in the setting sun gave way to the sheepish yet cocky nature of his speech. Perhaps underneath he was not all polite words and downcast eyes—perhaps underneath Noel shone in a way not even he knew. 

Sirius grunted in a flushed annoyance, shifting his position as though it would ward away his puzzlement. “Perhaps you don’t know me as well as you think you do, then. It’s not my problem if you’ve neglected to pay attention.”

He watched with vigor and a type of insecure bitterness that was unique to him, as his companion’s features twisted into that of bemusement. A lead that brought only a dead end, typical of Sirius yet frustrating nonetheless. He could only assume that to be the reason, anyway—that boy was always in another world, it seemed. “And, why?” he finally inquired. “Why say this now?”

_‘Because you’re beautiful,’_ the words teased his tongue. _‘Because you’ve entranced me terribly.’_

But he said neither of those things. He’d take to watching the rays above reflect along the other’s golden lake of hair, instead. His thoughts could stand at bay for another eternity; he was not owed the mercy of reciprocation. 

All he could do was try and sort out his mental stammer, and to conjure up a sentence that gave no such feelings away. He’d die with the knowledge that he thought Noel was gorgeous, and pray that he was the angel that led him to the afterlife. “Because it lets me know who to _avoid.”_ He pointed down to the same locks of light blue he’d been watching earlier, a scowl crossing his face to accompany his words. “Such as _her._ There is no doubt she’d be a nuisance to endure.” 

Noel did not question his topic change, though it was evident questions still lingered on his tongue. “Well, I’m sure she’s not all too bad. Some people change in certain situations.” 

He gave little but a _‘hpmh,’_ in response. “Perhaps. But I am still suspicious.” Below, she seemed to have gone back to irritating the shorter male, leaving her other two companions in poses that Sirius could only assume were meant to hide their laughter. “The _nerve_ she has. Despicable.” 

A giggle from beside him caught Sirius off-guard. Maroon landed upon swept eyelashes and a loose fist, then to the white sliver of teeth. He could feel the color pulse in his face, despite his rigorous application of sunscreen, and concluded in that moment that this must be what love feels like. 

“I’m sorry, but . . . It’s, ah—entertaining, to see you like that.” He cleared his throat from the last of his laughter, leaving only a warm smile in its wake. Despite the look of shock and confusion Sirius carried, his own lips begged to mimic the shape Noel’s had taken on. An arm was quickly strewn over the bottom-half of his face to hide his amusement, though he was sure his companion could tell regardless. 

And as all the sound died out, save for the rustling of foliage and the chatter of the town nearby . . . It became increasingly apparent how close the two had gotten. Sirius’ breath was hot and quick on Noel’s lips, diverging around the barrier of his forearm—he had to resist the urge to hold his own, and could only pray his intuition bid him correct. For just a moment their eyes met, a collision of burning magma and piercing ice that sent a spark down both of their backs. 

“I . . . I do not find that very humorous.” 

“. . . I suppose I was wrong, then.” 

Shallow and light, had both their voices come; a whistle of wind through the valley. Mere inches separated them, despite every second feeling like it brought them a centimeter closer. And Sirius could have sworn he was not moving a muscle. 

“You were,” he laid the words out plainly. Though blunt in essence, they were hardly more than an exhale. Where had his confidence gone, he wondered? Where was the veil of dignity he always shrouded himself in—was its duty _not_ to save him from tender moments like these? “Sorely mistaken, in fact.”

Noel nodded slightly, a strand of illumination falling amongst his features. A light chuckle rolled off his tongue, and his eyes diverted to the view next to the pair. “Right. Forgive me.” 

One moment gave way to the other, and he could’ve sworn at that very moment, Heaven collided with Earth. 

Their faces were centimeters apart, warmth radiating off of their skin in waves. A pulse in his throat told Sirius that his heart was beating wildly, and as much as he willed it to be silent, it thrummed in his ears in protest. His gaze flickered up to Noel’s own, and then hastily away again when he found that the other had a similar idea. Denial crept up his neck; truly, why would someone he has known for the expanse of nearly seven years have such an absurd idea? Why would someone so reserved, so polite, so . . . 

So _unfit_ for his arrogance, have his lips pressed against his own?

Breath caught in his throat, in a moment of haste he grabbed hold of Noel’s cheek—scorching to the touch, yet irresistible all the same. A spark of uncertainty, a dance of disbelief; they lingered for seconds more. And even after they’d parted, the desire arose again, and again they indulged. Building passion released itself in their movements, in the way their noses foolishly bumped. In the way they could hardly get enough of each other, in the way both of them wondered subconsciously what would become of them once they were done—

And as he pulled away, Sirius was utterly aware of how ridiculous he must have looked. Lips parted and eyes half-lidded—like a crushing teen who could hardly get a hold of himself. Well, he supposed that wasn’t too far off. His cheeks flushed dark red evermore, raising a hand to mask his disarray. There was little that could be hidden after kissing someone so close, but that did not stop him from trying. “. . . You are forgiven.” 

“I’m glad.” Noel’s eyes met his own, features soft as the light disappearing in their presence. 

And somewhere beside them, a cloud cleared along the horizon.

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO !!!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading !!!! It would mean the world to me if you left a kudos/comment—though please do not feel like you have to do either !! I am happy enough with the fact that you took the time to read all of this ^w^
> 
> Please stay safe, everyone !!! You're loved so much more than you know; please take care of yourselves !!!!!
> 
> ~~ Kota
> 
> || Instagram ;; @kotsskaa ||  
> || Twitter ;; @Kotsskaa ||


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